Cycles Within Leadership

There was a common theme I was finding in some Conversations I was having today.

Cycles in Life.

When you look at the things that happen in Life, we can often find a Cycle.

They play out in Many different ways.

The ones you hear about most often would be Negative Cycles.

They are like a Whirlpool that drag you into the Abyss.

You could call these Vicious Cycles.

I frequently talk about these within a Leadership Context.

The simplest version of this is when you treat Employees Badly, their Work Becomes Bad.

Burnout is a Perfect Example.

When Leaders Fail to Value Employee's Health, Employees Fail to Produce.

This is Not even about the Employee Retaliating.

In Reality, "Retaliation" is Extremely Rare among Employees.

Rather, Employees in Burnout Fail to Produce because of Science.

Basic Psychophysiology.

Humans Produce their Best Work in Flow States.

The Opposite of Flow States is Burnout.

In Flow States, we can potentially reach our 100% Productivity Potential.

In Burnout?

We are Scientifically Capped at 5% of our Productivity Potential.

When Leaders push Employees into Unhealthy Work Habits, it becomes Burnout and Leaders Receive a Lack of Productivity.

The Further you Push Employees, the Worse Burnout Becomes.

A Vicious Cycle.

Or we can look at the "Domineering" Leadership Style.

The Result?

Fear.

When we become Fearful, it Impacts our Brain Directly.

In Fear, we are Unable to Think Clearly.

The Result?

A Lack of Innovation.

Missed Opportunities.

Fight Behavior, as in Active Disengagement, as it has been Termed.

Flight Behavior, as in Increased Turnover.

Fawn Behavior, as in "Yes" People who Do Not Contribute to the Future and Allow Plans To Fail.

Freeze Behavior, as we've seen with the Failings of Quiet Firing.

As we see here, this becomes a Vicious Cycle.

The Leader tries to Dominate Employees.

Employees become Worse due to Fear.

The Leader tries to Dominate Further.

Employees continue to Spiral Down.

It actually goes a Step Further than this because the Fear will Spread.

As More Deadlines are Missed.

As More Employees Retaliate.

As More Problems Grow.

As More Goals are Failed.

What happens to the Leader?

Fear of Failing.

Fear Feeds Into More Fear.

Problems Feed Into More Problems.

Failures Feed In to More Failures.

Until it is Over.

The Leader is Fired.

The Team is Dispersed.

The Organization is Disintegrated.

These Vicious Cycles are not always Quick.

Sometimes they happen over Decades.

But the Longer the Cycles, the More Ingrained they Become.

At a Certain Point, it can become Nearly Impossible to Break from the Cycle.

The Whirlpool has Pulled You Too Deep.

We are seeing this happen with the Cola Industry Right Now.

For Decades, their singular Focus has been making their Products Cheaper (for better Profit) and More Addictive (for better Profit).

The Result?

Sicker Customers.

As Products became Cheaper and More Addictive, they also became Worse for our Health as Humans.

Now, we are seeing one of the Sickest Populations in History (Not "Only" caused by the Cola Industry, but which the Cola Industry has Contributed to Greatly).

Gen Z has seen this Trend, and wants "Nothing" to do with it.

Cola companies have "Panicked" trying to figure out how to Attract Gen Z.

But they Are Not Able.

Their Products are "Dependent" on Cheap Ingredients and Addictiveness.

They can't Create a Product that Gen Z is going to want.

The Cola Industry is in a Vicious Cycle they Can't Escape.

It may be Very Late for the Cola Industry, but not all Industries are Doomed to Vicious Cycles.

There is another way.

Cycles can also be Positive.

These could be called Virtuous Cycles.

Kindness Creates More Kindness.

Recovery Creates Peak Performance.

Understanding Creates Understanding.

This last one happens even in the Most Dire and Seemingly Horrible Situations.

Ask Chris Voss who has handled some of the toughest Negotiations with the Worst Criminals.

His ability to Understand Others is Unparalleled.

He has even gotten people who are considered Sociopaths to Release Hostages simply by "Understanding" them, and Demonstrating he Understood them.

Voss's Understanding has led to the "Sociopaths" to Understand Voss's Need, and Agree to Release Hostages Unharmed.

Through Understanding.

When you Engage in Virtuous Cycles, the Possibilities become Endless.

For Instance, Instead of pushing Employees Further into Burnout, what if we Started with Understanding?

Human Beings are Unable to Perform in Burnout, it is a Scientific Fact.

So, as a Leader, Understand the Wellness Needs of your Employees.

Give them an Opportunity to Recover.

Encourage their Recovery.

That Encouragement and Recovery will create a Virtuous Cycle.

Employees will be Encouraged to Pursue Your Goals.

Their Recovery will give them the Capacity to do it.

That leads to Results, Buy In, and Teamwork.

This can then be Utilized to attain Consistent Flow States.

With Flow States, you Maximize Productivity.

Solutions are Easier to Find.

Innovations are Found.

Then, as Humans, we Seek Flow States for their Own Sake.

So, as a Leader, you only need to "Guide" the Flow States toward the Goals.

Your Employees will Figure out the Rest without you needing to hold their hands.

They become Autonomous.

They become their Own Leaders.

What does that do for You as a Leader?

It makes your Work Easier.

Requires you to get your Hands Dirty Less.

Allows you to Actually make Feasible Plans for the Future.

Gives you Time to Understand Your Other Employees.

What does that do?

Continues the Cycle.

More Understanding, More Solutions, More Results, More Autonomous Leaders.

A Virtuous Cycle.

All a Leader must do is Eliminate the Vicious Cycles, and Design Virtuous Cycles.

The Greatest Form of Virtuous Cycle?

Designing a Regenerative Legacy.

It looks at the different aspects of a Business, from a Psychophysiological Perspective, to create Multiple Virtuous Cycles.

As you Build Virtuous Cycles, they begin to have Exponential Benefits.

That is where Leaders Flourish.